COMPANY·HISTORIES

Spain

Companies based in Spain, and the events that shaped them.

33companies1896–2003founding years31still active2no longer operating
§ 01

Spain companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedFederico Paternina S.A.
1896
FoundedIberdrola, S.A.
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedTelefónica S.A.
1924
FoundedFreixenet S.A.
1928
FoundedMiquel y Costas Miquel S.A.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedEl Corte Inglés Group
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
FoundedChupa Chups S.A.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedAdolfo Dominguez S.A.
1952
FoundedDogi International Fabrics S.A.
1954
FoundedSol Meliá S.A.FoundedTelevision Española, S.A.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedVidrala S.A.
1965
FoundedGrupo Leche Pascual S.A.
1969
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
FoundedCortefiel S.A.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedUnión Fenosa, S.A.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRepsol-YPF S.A.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedBanco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.
1988
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedBanco Santander Central Hispano S.A.
1999
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE INDUSTRIA →
Active · Spain
Founded by government decree: September 25, 1941 INI Group Employees: 198,748 Sales: 1.73 trillion pesetas (US$11.53…
Federico Paternina S.A. →
Active · founded 1896 · Spain
1940s:Paternina begins exporting wines to Europe and the Americas.
Iberdrola, S.A. →
Active · founded 1901 · Spain
Bilbao-based Iberdrola, S.A., with more than nine million customers worldwide, is the second largest electric utility…
Puig Beauty and Fashion Group S.L. →
Active · founded 1914 · Spain
Puig Beauty and Fashion Group S.L.
Telefónica S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · Spain
Until the 1990s the government-controlled public company known since May 1988 as Telefónica de España, S.A.
Altadis S.A. →
Active · founded 1926 · Spain
Altadis S.A., formed from the 1999 merger of the French and Spanish state tobacco monopolies SEITA and Tabacalera, is…
Freixenet S.A. →
Active · founded 1928 · Spain
Freixenet S.A.
Compañia Española de Petróleos S.A. (Cepsa) →
Active · founded 1929 · Spain
Compañia Española de Petróleos S.A.
Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A. →
Active · founded 1929 · Spain
Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A.(MCM) is a manufacturer of specialty papers and one of only four cigarette paper…
El Corte Inglés Group →
Active · founded 1940 · Spain
El Corte Inglés, S.A.
Grupo Dragados SA →
Active · founded 1941 · Spain
Grupo Dragados SA is Spain's second-largest construction and engineering company; pending a merger with rival ACS…
Chupa Chups S.A. →
Active · founded 1946 · Spain
Spain's Chupa Chups S.A.
Grupo Lladró S.A. →
Active · founded 1951 · Spain
Grupo Lladró S.A.
Adolfo Dominguez S.A. →
Active · founded 1952 · Spain
Adolfo Dominguez S.A.
Grupo Ferrovial, S.A. →
Active · founded 1952 · Spain
Grupo Ferrovial, S.A.
Dogi International Fabrics S.A. →
Active · founded 1954 · Spain
1970s:The company expands its industrial capacity, including adding Lycra-based fabrics production; Dogi becomes the…
Campofrío Alimentación S.A →
Active · founded 1956 · Spain
Campofrío's new dominance of the European market encouraged the company to focus its future expansion efforts in…
Sol Meliá S.A. →
Active · founded 1956 · Spain
Sol Meliá S.A.
Television Española, S.A. →
Active · founded 1956 · Spain
State-owned Television Española, S.A.
Industria de Diseño Textil S.A. →
Active · founded 1963 · Spain
Industria de Diseño Textil S.A., also known as The Inditex Group, is one of the world's leading and fastest-growing…
Vidrala S.A. →
Active · founded 1965 · Spain
Vidrala S.A.
Grupo Eroski →
Active · founded 1969 · Spain
Grupo Eroski is the distribution arm and the largest part of Spain's powerful cooperative group Mondragon Corporacion…
Grupo Leche Pascual S.A. →
Active · founded 1969 · Spain
Despite the controversy at home, Pascual had in the meantime discovered a strong international market for its UHT…
Viscofan S.A. →
Active · founded 1975 · Spain
Viscofan S.A.
Cortefiel S.A. →
Active · founded 1980 · Spain
Spain's Cortefiel S.A.
Unión Fenosa, S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1982 · Spain
Unión Fenosa, S.A.
Repsol S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · Spain
Repsol S.A.
Repsol-YPF S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1987 · Spain
Repsol-YPF S.A.
TelePizza S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · Spain
Fast-growing TelePizza S.A.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. →
Active · founded 1988 · Spain
Total Assets: Pta 54.45 trillion ($272.53 billion) (2001) Stock Exchanges: Madrid New York Ticker Symbol:BBV NAIC:…
Gas Natural SDG S.A. →
Active · founded 1992 · Spain
Spain's Gas Natural SDG S.A.
Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A. →
Active · founded 1999 · Spain
Total Assets: EUR 330 billion (US$337 billion) (1999) Stock Exchanges: Mercado Continuo New York Ticker Symbol: STD…
Abertis Infraestructuras, S.A. →
Active · founded 2003 · Spain
Abertis Infraestructuras, S.A.
Build It Today

How would you build this today?

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.